(Common) Moorhen

Both sexes: Black with a white tail and red bill and forehead.

×

The Moorhen appears mostly black, but a closer look reveals
blackish-brown upperparts and grey-black below. Underneath the tail
(undertail coverts) are white and there is a white line along the flank.
The bill and frontal shield (forehead) is red, the bill having a yellow
tip. The legs and feet are a striking yellow-green, and if you are lucky
you may catch a glimpse of the red "garter" at the top of the legs. The
toes are lobed, not webbed. The eye is red.

Frequently confused with the Coot by beginners,
try to remember: "R" is for red, and there are no "R's" in
Coot!

Moorhen

Chicks

Juvenile

Moorhens tend to be more solitary and feed around the water's edge. Though
they appear placid, fighting is common and often prolonged, with each bird
striking the other violently with the feet and even attempting to push or drag
them underwater.

Fighting

Scientific Name

Gallinula chloropus

Length

30-35 cm (12-14")

Wing Span

50-55 cm (20-22")

Weight

250-400 g (9-14 oz)

Breeding Pairs

240000

Present

All Year

Status

Green

Voice

Often, they will surprise you with their loud, explosive "curruk"
call.

Feeding

Moorhens feed both on water and land and so have a varied diet of leaves, seeds, berries, worms, snails and fish,
and also other birds' eggs.

They will take bread in gardens.

Nesting

Generally, the female builds the nest among vegetation in the water
while the male gathers the twigs, etc.

Their eggs are smooth and glossy, greyish-white to green with reddish-brown
or grey markings. They are about 43 mm by 31 mm. Both parents incubate the
eggs and look after the precocial nestlings, which when newly hatched are fed
in the nest for a couple of days before swimming with their parents.

Breeding Starts

Clutches

Eggs

Incubation (days)

Fledge (days)

late March

1-3

2-21

19-22

42-49

Movements

British birds are sedentary but many birds north-west Europe spend the
winter in Britain.

Conservation

The population declined in the 1970s and 80s but has since been recovering.
The decline seemed to be a result of reduced clutch size and this in turn may
be caused by the spread of American mink Mustela vison, which predates
birds' nests along waterways.